Sheehan had a painterly approach to his score, bringing a range of techniques to the piece. Many of the songs and carols he used dated back to the 15th or 16th centuries, some obscure and others more familiar, like “God Rest You Merry” or “Deck The Hall.” He applied to each tune a particular palette, adjusting to the flow of the story. At times, the choir echoed the spoken text with ethereal effect.
Read MoreBBC Singers announce that Mel Giedroyc is joining the BBC Singers and Principal Guest Conductor Bob Chilcott for the UK Premiere of Benedict Sheehan's A Christmas Carol. The performance will take place at Milton Court Concert Hall on Wednesday 14 December, 7.30pm. Mel Giedroyc said: "I'm thrilled to be joining the BBC Singers in this classic Christmas tale at the Barbican this December. It's a joy to be bringing A Christmas Carol to life with all the fanfare it deserves: carols, storytelling and live music. I hope you can all join us for a truly festive treat."
Read MoreKansas City is famous for its long-held performance traditions, but in recent years arts groups have begun to branch out, with offerings that are a bit off the beaten path. Don’t worry: No one wants to replace our well-known favorites, but a new look at the season can be refreshing. A choice example is the Kansas City Chorale’s local premiere of Benedict Sheehan’s A Christmas Carol (December 2nd through the 16th), a fresh version of the holiday favorite that is, I believe, destined to become a classic.
Read MoreNearly 180 years after its first publication, the BBC Singers retell the evocative and festive classic in the UK premiere of this engaging musical dramatisation by GRAMMY®-nominated composer Benedict Sheehan.
Read MoreIn this episode I have a chat with GRAMMY nominated conductor and composer, Benedict Sheehan of the St. Tikhon Monastery Choir. This passionate conversation begins with Benedict’s advocacy for people, like himself, who stutter. As you will hear, it is important that we remember that EVERYONE has something to say.
Read MoreConductor BENEDICT SHEEHAN has won The American Prize in Conducting, 2022—the Dale Warland Award, in the non-college division. Maestro Sheehan was selected from applications reviewed recently from all across the United States.
Read MoreIn the Orthodox communion, Vespers come at the beginning of the day, not its end, and that sense of opening and growing light forms an important aspect of Sheehan’s brilliant reimagining of Rachmaninov’s All-Night Vigil.
Read MoreThis score is fully a match for its predecessor in quality, and cements Sheehan’s place in the front ranks of Orthodox liturgical composers not only in the USA, but throughout the world. Sheehan’s unique musical genius lies in how, without departing from the Russian Orthodox tradition, he nonetheless manages to infuse a distinctively American musical flavor into his music.
Read MoreThere are also hints of John Tavener’s Orthodox works in places; whether Sheehan is consciously influenced in this manner is hard to say, but it does make for a quite flavorful experience in toto. The religious sentiment is undoubtedly deep—one feels the seriousness of purpose in every bar, and the entire work resonates with a purposeful and highly-evolved sense of faith and meaning.
Read MoreAs the narrative content darkens, a sense of desolation permeates the musical treatment; in those moments where the story turns joyful, on the other hand, Sheehan imbues the music with uplift and rapture.
Read MoreA “story score” based on the Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol (review forthcoming) picks up where last year's Once Upon a Time left off, with professional storyteller Sarah Walker again narrating, and Skylark delivering a powerful score by Benedict Sheehan that incorporates themes from traditional carols and folksongs.
Read MoreMany listeners revere Pärt as a Bach for our time, while others prefer the smooth articulations of Rutter or the complex introspection of Tavener. It is not too early to add Benedict Sheehan to any list of choral composers and conductors to watch in the 21st century. There seems to be no limit to his melodic and harmonic inventiveness and his ability to use music as a medium for expressing spirituality or, if you prefer, strong emotional feelings grounded in intelligence and tradition. We are fortunate indeed to be with him at the outset of what will become a career of consequence, and to enjoy his great music (and the outstanding singers who give it voice) along the way.
Read MoreThe music flows effortlessly from one moment to the next providing opportunity for color changes with various vocal solos.
Read MoreIn the field of Orthodox church music, Benedict Sheehan is not only a widely acclaimed conductor, with this new release he proves, and not for the first time, that he is also a highly competent composer. And perhaps above all, that he is a scholar of note.
Read MoreCappella Romana welcomes Benedict Sheehan back to Portland as conductor and composer. His last conducting engagement with CR was on the eve of the pandemic shutdown, when the choir was able to offer one live-feed performance of Tchaikovsky’s Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. For the upcoming performances Sheehan returns to conduct his own English language Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. It’s the only piece on this program, and it is unique.
Read MorePärt, whose compositional style can sometimes resemble theme and variation, paints this phrase in varying emotional shades, resolving the piece in a peaceful silence before the Trinity is sunnily invoked at the end. All sections of the choir shone in this performance, particularly the basses; smiles on the choir and conductor’s faces at the end showed that all were pleased with the results.
Read MoreIt began with a prayer, nearly in plainchant, building to a grander crescendo with stunning grace, then receding again into a simple soprano melody with a suspended drone in the bass voices. It was quite beautiful.
Read MoreBenedict was recently nominated for a GRAMMY and his new composition for the Divine Liturgy has received rave reviews.
Read MoreThe performances do the seemingly impossible: they bring the liturgy to vibrant, immediate life while referencing, upholding, and above all respecting the tradition they represent and, in the very act of performance itself, prolong.
Read MoreSheehan’s compositional voice follows in the footsteps of the 20th and 21st century phenomena Arvo Pärt, Jon Tavener, and Ivan Moody, taking a uniquely American approach and color when paired with the influence of ancient chant.
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